Wife drilled into PVC drain pipe

[JJ]

I just discovered that a few years ago, my wife drilled into the vertical drain pipe (Sch. 40) coming down from our upstairs bathroom.

Apparently, she tried hanging a toilet paper holder in the 1st floor powder room and had trouble geting the screw in, so she patched the hole in the drywall and moved it over several inches.

I noticed a slight dampness around the patch and cut it open and found the hole in the pipe. The damage wasn't too bad - a few inch square piece of drywall over a few years of the hole being there, so it can't be leaking much.

Anyway, is there a way to fix this hole without cutting out the section of the pipe and coupling in a new piece? Doing that would require removing much more drywall, which I don't want to do if I don't have to.

Is there anything that can be used to fill the hole or wrap the pipe?

[Paul O.]

If it is just a drain pipe with no pressure in it, I think I would try to force some silicone sealant into the hole.

[SteveB]

In the garden section, they make PVC repair kits. They consist of two pieces that fit over the pipe, and click together. DON'T forget to put some glue on there first. They work great.

Steve

[Edwin Pawlowski]

Probably a dozen ways that will work. How big is the hole? If it is a very small hole, a short screw with some sealer will do. Put a rubber washer under the screw head, spread some silicone adhesive and screw it in. Don't use a long screw as you don't want paper catching on it as it passes inside the pipe.

Cut a piece of a PVC connector that is the same size as used on the pipe. This will have the same curve and fit over top snugly. Using the proper PVC pipe adhesive, glue the patch over top.

[Ron DeBlock]

Epoxy putty is made for this kind of fix. It comes in a stick. You cut/break off a small piece, knead it to mix the epoxy, and stick it on the hole. Wait five minutes. Done! It even works on active leaks.

The epoxy putty sticks are available for a few bucks in the plumbing department at the local big box store. You can also find it at auto parts stores, hardware stores, etc. Handy stuff to have around.

[George E. Cawthon]

Sure,if the hole was drilled on only one wall, i.e., if the drill didn't go completely through the pipe. Simplest way is insert a screw slightly larger than the drilled hole and tighten the screw. Use a screw for metal, preferably a brass or stainless steel screw slightly longer than the thickness of the PVC wall.

[BocesLib]

I second the epoxy solution. This guys pipe is a drain pipe. You wouldnt normally want anything going into the inner wall of the pipe because something can get hung up on it.

Tom

[CL (dnoyeB) Gilbert]

Yep, though Im not a plumber I would surmise you dont want anything sticking into the pipe that a snake might get caught on or agrivate in case its snaked sometime in the far future.

[Goedjn]

True but its a vertical section, so it should be fairly forgiving. YOu don't want a half-inch of screw sticking into it, but a small bump shouldn't be a problem.

[Art]

If you use a screw get a stainless steel screw at the hardware store.

[Philip Lewis]

I'm liking the glue a section of connector over it suggestion myself. Before i saw that, I was going to suggest making a filler putty from pvc dust (from sanding/cutting/fileing) and pvc glue. I've read of this technique being used as a gap filler/patch in low pressure situations.

[Art Todesco]

[G Henslee]

Be glad it wasn't your skull, in your sleep.

[Philip Lewis]

Why would she be mounting a toilet paper holder near his head? are you saying he has shinola[*] for brains? (no offense to the OP... i'm just going with the flow here. ;)

[CL (dnoyeB) Gilbert]

If it doesent ooze out there, where else will it ooze? All similar pipes sealed? Perhaps it will just come out of the floordrains then? just wondering.

[Chris Lewis]

According to JJ :

Assuming your pipe is standard ABS DWV, I'd personally fabricate a rough plug out of some ABS scrap, and jam it into the hole liberally greased with ABS glue.

It'll take at least half a day to completely set, but this is probably the most rugged repair, because you're essentially welding the hole shut. Or, "reconstructing the ABS pipe" if you prefer to look at it that way.

PVC glue won't work on ABS. Yes, you can glue PVC to ABS using "PVC-ABS" glue, but why bother? Pure ABS-ABS is better.

Epoxy or various other glues will often work (given suitable prep), but not nearly as well as ABS solvent weld.

Reconstructing ABS using ABS scraps and ABS glue works remarkably well.

I had a electric blower housing case shatter when the impeller came apart at speed. The blower case was 100% ABS. It was easy to piece it back together using ABS glue (and a few scraps), and now you can't tell. It's just as strong as originally.

[MattMika]

Right before I bought my first home I had installed an R/O filter system in my apartment. For the waste water line I had to drill a hole in the drain pipe. When I removed the R/O unit I simply threaded a short nylon bolt into the hole. Worked like a charm. It was alot easier than replacing the drain pipe....

Matt

[Art Todesco]

[Calvin Henry-Cotnam]

The OP's subject line says "PVC", so the ABS suggestions will not work.

What colour is the pipe -- white, black, or something else?

Where I am (Toronto), we cannot use PVC for DWV, so the only plastic DWV pipe used is ABS and that is black (ABS, the plastic, can be made in just about any colour, but the DWV pipe is black).

We can, and usually do, use PVC for the drains from the house to the sewer system, but the PVC-to-ABS coupling is below the basement floor. Here, PVC used for sanitary drains must be coloured and is usually green. White PVC can only be used on storm sewer connections (in our municipality, only the weeping tile can connect to it).

Or a PVC solvent weld, if the pipe is PVC.

[TPutmann]

Dude,

Your wife is stupid Stupid STUPID !!!!

Get a divorce.

After that,

Then clean the hole real well and coat it with JB Weld Next, take a Fernco coupling and slit it down one side (with the clamps off of it). Slip it around the pipe and install the clamps. You'll have to work the clamp bands into the threads of the clamp, which can be a little tough to do inside the wall.

Be sure the split in the fernco is AWAY from the hole and the JB Weld is still wet.

I would NOT use the quick drying JB Weld. It will take a while to get the clamps on, and the stuff will dry to fast.